Yellow Sallies and Hook Sets

[Tyson]

So spur of the moment last night I decided to fish the MP late into the evening. Saw Mr. Racoon arrive for work on the bank right behind me. What I thought were PMDs swarming all around me turned out to be a small yellow stones (16-14). Are these what are known as yellow sallies?

Also, I have been having a devil of a time keeping these fish on when fishing to risers. I am making an effort not to set too hard or too fast, but still the most I managed was a throb throb and then the fish is gone. My rod is made for 6-7 wt line fast action. Maybe I need to try a 3 wt?

[Curtis Fry]

So spur of the moment last night I decided to fish the MP late into the evening. Saw Mr. Racoon arrive for work on the bank right behind me. What I thought were PMDs swarming all around me turned out to be a small yellow stones (16-14). Are these what are known as yellow sallies?

Also, I have been having a devil of a time keeping these fish on when fishing to risers. I am making an effort not to set too hard or too fast, but still the most I manages was a throb throb and then the fish is gone. My rod is made for 6-7 wt line fast action. Maybe I need to try a 3 wt?

heck, just go for a 10 wt. That extra power will give those dry flies a good added zing when you set the hook.

[nightfish]

Are they your ties, and what hook model? I don't like the 200R for the smaller bugs...too small of a gap. Standard dry hooks work for me. You also might be setting too soon, as the fish hit the emerging bug hard, rushing toward a downstream drift. Wait a couple of seconds before you lift on the set.

The Yellow Sally stonefly (Isoperla grammatica), is one of only 3 species of stonefly to emerge midcurrent, rather than crawling out of the water & emerging from the nymphal case. One of the better patterns for fishing the mid-day hatch is a LaFontaine's Sparkle Caddis Pupae in the appropriate size & color.

[Tyson]

Are they your ties, and what hook model? I don't like the 200R for the smaller bugs...too small of a gap. Standard dry hooks work for me. You also might be setting too soon, as the fish hit the emerging bug hard, rushing toward a downstream drift. Wait a couple of seconds before you lift on the set.

I was using 200r last week and thought that might be the problem. This time I was using a Daiichi 1110 dry fly hook #16.

[F/V Gulf Ventur]

So spur of the moment last night I decided to fish the MP late into the evening. Saw Mr. Racoon arrive for work on the bank right behind me. What I thought were PMDs swarming all around me turned out to be a small yellow stones (16-14). Are these what are known as yellow sallies?

Also, I have been having a devil of a time keeping these fish on when fishing to risers. I am making an effort not to set too hard or too fast, but still the most I managed was a throb throb and then the fish is gone. My rod is made for 6-7 wt line fast action. Maybe I need to try a 3 wt?

Are you certain that they were Little Yellow Sallies? I have been on the MP a few times this week saw a few but when you say swarms and late into the evening I start to think Caddis. If you refer to your LaFontaine books you will see when the Caddis hatch. There were however very large Mayfly PMD, or PED whatever the correct terminology is, but bigger with a very distinct Yellow body. Fish were up and I never saw another person this entire week.

How much line do you have out? Shorten up?

[Jeff Camomile]

For me, the Yellow Sally hatch on the Middle Provo is very exciting. It is probably my favorite hatch, even above the Green Drake hatch, because most people are concentrating on the drakes upstream, while I am far downstream fishing this exciting hatch with far, far fewer people. However, you need to hit it in its earlier stages. Right now, assuming you saw a YS hatch, it is getting late and egg layers are returning to the river to lay eggs. If you see one closely, you might notice a red butt on its end - egg layer. The fish are somewhat less interested in these than when they are hatching - probably because they are more difficult to eat than when they are hatching mid-stream. Hence, the takes and strikes by the fish in this late stage are less exact, and more hesitant, and more difficult to hook up with them.

[Marty]

It has been so hot the stones of been on the water most of the day. There are a number of different stones hatching right now. The bugs you are seeing swarming over the water are not hatching, they are egg laying. Not all Isoperla’s hatch mid stream and if you look close you will find size 16 sucks on the rocks right next to the big goldens. I saw some bigger fish feed on adult yesterday and today. I will agree it is a fun hatch to fish but it does not bring up the big fish like the drakes. I saw a number of lime sallies also. Never as many but I do carry a few size 18 lime trudes. Don’t worry about fishing the caddis hatch it is not worth it!!! As far as hooking a fish on small hooks, you just have to let go of the nymph set, say got ya, then lift the rod and line control is a key, got to control the slack.

[jonescort]

I have been thinking about dry fly sets. So in my theory the fish is coming up at it with its mouth open. When it takes the fly it turns down/forward and re enters the water. If you set the hook on the upside of the strike it will pull it out of the mouth without making consistent contact on the set. If you wait for the fish to turn down towards the water then it has closed its mouth and made it easier to rip some lip!!! That is just my theory. I am not very experienced and not very smart but that is what I have come up with.

[campfire]

I have been thinking about dry fly sets. So in my theory the fish is coming up at it with its mouth open. When it takes the fly it turns down/forward and re enters the water. If you set the hook on the upside of the strike it will pull it out of the mouth without making consistent contact on the set. If you wait for the fish to turn down towards the water then it has closed its mouth and made it easier to rip some lip!!! That is just my theory. I am not very experienced and not very smart but that is what I have come up with.
Sometimes it is better to be old and l little slow. What do you folks say to your self before setting: "God save the Queen", "Mississippi", "come and get it", "I'll get you now!", Etc.?

[S&P]

Depending on the location and fish it's "MINE!" or "Gotcha ya little shit!".

Never said out loud of course.

[FishOn!]

One thing Ive noticed is that when I am nymphing I need to be intense and very focused and set the hook on any bump. When I fish dries I try to mellow out and just enjoy casting and covering water. Since I am less intense when dry flying I am not hypervigilante and so my reaction to takes is slower and I tend to not miss fish as much as I would if I were extremely focused and intense. In nymphing you need to set really fast since what you see your indicator doing is the result of something happening (fish taking your fly) a short time before hand...you'll lose fish many times if you are too slow. The opposite is true for fishing dries...you'll lose fish many times if you are too fast. I think the conditioned response to nymphing might hurt some of us when dry flying. If I get into a good hatch I tend to miss more fish since I am all worked up and antsy to land a lot of fish.

[jonescort]

Taking a few hits of my sneak-a-toke that I keep in the front of my wader pocket:) It makes me a little paranoid afterwards but it slows down my reaction for hook sets.

[S&P]

..... if you remember to set the hook at all.